Eight Things We Love About Octopath Traveler

Octopath Traveler is finally here. The game was first revealed as a trailer back in E3 2017 and gave us practically no information. But now roughly one year later Octopath Traveler is launching on the Nintendo Switch. After spending some time diving into this magical world, we’ve come up with eight things we love about Octopath Traveler. The first thing about Octopath Traveler that will jump out at you is the art style. This is one of the most unique looking games on the Nintendo Switch, thanks in large part to its HD-2D pixel art.

Despite it using a 16-bit style for the characters, the environments are polygonal in nature while all the combat effects are explosively detailed. As players move back and forth from the environment, the focus shifts as they move, giving you a real sense of depth as you push further into the towns or explore deeper into dungeons. It is nearly impossible to talk about Octopath Traveler without mentioning the soundtrack. Composed by Yasunori Nishiki, the soundtrack is just as mythical and fantastical as you would expect. Every town entered, every field crossed and every battle fought is ignited by an epic backdrop of the rich orchestral music. The combat hawks back to that old-school turn-based feel, but adds much-needed life into it. The job system allows players to really get in and alter the many characters into a unique style. Different active and passive abilities can be learned and selected to make every play through a battle feel different – which is important given the difficulty of some of these encounters. Speaking of characters, there are eight classes for players to experiment with. Each of these classes offer unique combat styles, skills and perks. The merchant class excels at purchasing items from many NPC’s in the game while the scholar is able to scrutinize people around town.

Getting all the classes to join your party and then using them in combat and learning their abilities is just pure bliss. One of the classes that stuck out to us was the hunter, as it kind of reminded us of Pokemon. The hunter’s primary talent is the ability to capture animals in the wild and then summon them in combat. Spending time looking for new animals to add to the collection offered a nice moment of exploration. The map in Octopath Traveler is a gorgeous thing to behold. Most of the time we find ourselves scouring every little detail in search of any secrets that it might be hiding. Players who know what they’re looking for can spend time looking around the map for things like shrines or major junction points that have little secret areas. Even a parting in the trees can lead to a secret clearing brimming with loot. The entire story in Octopath Traveler is one of an epic adventure, and we can’t get enough of the world that has been created here. From lonely towns on mountaintops to hidden desert valleys each location exudes a deep sense of history.

Finally as mentioned before each of the eight characters have their own story and journey to follow. This multiple story line is one feature we absolutely adored, as it created a sense of connection between each of the playable characters. Following each character through their own trials and tribulations was eye-opening and made us look at each person more than just a party member. Octopath Traveler is out as of July 13th for the Nintendo switch, and if you’re one who loves nothing more than to become totally absorbed in the Square Enix universe, dive straight into this gorgeous and well crafted experience..